New chapter begins for Shiloh Community Church

After 50 years as a senior pastor and spending the past five years retired from official church leadership, Ken Harger is excited to welcome Shane Prewitt as the new pastor for Shiloh Community Church.

After 50 years as a senior pastor and spending the past five years retired from official church leadership, Ken Harger is excited to welcome Shane Prewitt as the new pastor for Shiloh Community Church.

Harger's journey with Shiloh began in 1958 when he was hired to be the senior pastor for the church. According to Harger, at that time, there were approximately 15 regular church-goers. Now, services typically bring in 400 to 450 people and Harger estimates that through outreach programs, the church has reached up to 800 members during weekend services.

Among Harger's accomplishments with the church and its grounds, he stated that he is pleased to pass down a debt-free institution to the new pastor.

"Over the course of 50 years, there was no time when I was disappointed. I loved everything. I watched the building develop and we built a campgrounds which is used by members of the congregation. It's a neat thing for the new pastor to be coming into a situation that is debt free. Really, all he needs to do is the maintenance," said Harger.

In 2008, Harger retired as senior pastor and since that time has been busy working with senior members of the congregation and also hosting radio shows. According to Prewitt, Harger is the youngest 78-year-old he has ever met.

Prewitt, who grew up in Romulus, went to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. to study the fundamentals of Christian education. After obtaining his degree, Prewitt worked in Richmond, Va. for four years as a senior pastor before moving back to Michigan. Prewitt and his wife Charlene have lived in Muskegon since 2005, but have plans to move to the area as soon as their house sells.

According to Prewitt, when he applied to Shiloh Community Church, he was not actively searching for new employment. According to both Harger and Prewitt, both sides approached the situation cautiously.

"I was not really looking to change congregations. I loved where I was at but my wife and I agreed that if we felt the Lord called upon us to serve at Shiloh, then we needed to keep that door open," said Prewitt.

Harger said that hundreds of applications were submitted for the position and that the search committee tasked with going through the applications had a difficult job in deciding which candidates were best fit for the job.

After a few visits to the church and after meeting Harger and other members of the congregation, the Prewitt's decided it was time to find their calling at Shiloh.

"Shiloh has a legacy and the warm and loving congregation has made everything easy," Prewitt said in regards to his first sermon at the church during the first weekend of June.

According to Tracie Gladding, administrative assistant for Shiloh Community Church, the change in leadership signifies that the church is moving forward. Gladding has been a member of the congregation for more than 30 years and has worked in the church office for the past two and a half years.

Page 2 of 2 - "Basically, it's a good thing to be moving forward. It's really exciting and I think everyone is excited that Prewitt is here and that's how it should be," said Gladding.

As senior pastor, Prewitt hopes to build upon the legacy of the church and is pleased that the congregation is grace-centered and adheres to the principles of the Bible. His first message to the congregation centered around the idea of moving forward by faith.

Although in retirement, Harger has kept himself busy. He does radio shows on Ionia's WION, Greenville's WGLM and also has an Internet show on Ears Radio. In addition, Harger actively performs wedding and funeral ceremonies.

"Typically, I do about 100 funerals a year," said Harger.

Harger also hosts senior luncheons in order to stay connected with older people. In the summer, he hosts six senior luncheons - two in June, two in July and two in August. He also spends time visiting with elderly members of the congregation, many of whom were with the church during Harger's 50 years as senior pastor.

After five years of interns and interim pastors, Shiloh Community Church has finally found a senior pastor in Shane Prewitt.

"My son was here for two years after my 50 so this really marks the end of the Harger era at Shiloh," Harger said.

On Aug. 10 there will be an official installation service which will bring together community leaders and the congregation as a way to signal the changing chapter for Shiloh.